Hawaii Symphony Orchestra is On Tour!

Hawaii Symphony Orchestra Biography

The Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, formerly known as the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, was founded in 1900. The symphony is the second oldest orchestra in the USA west of the Rocky Mountains. Originally housed in a clubhouse on the slopes of Punchbowl, the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra now plays from the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall in downtown Honolulu.
From 1996 to 2004, the Honolulu Symphony was under the direction of conductor Samuel Wong. In August 2007, Andreas Delfs, current music director of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, officially became principal conductor of the Honolulu Symphony. He led seven concerts per season in the orchestra's Halekulani Masterworks series. Today, JoAnn Falletta serves as the artistic advisor of the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra. Ignace Jang is concertmaster.
Previous music directors included Fritz Hart (1937–49), George Barati (1950-1967), Robert La Marchina, Donald Johanos (1979–94) and JoAnn Falletta (artistic advisor).
In 2014, the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra debuted its popular series musicthatPOPS, featuring Broadway music, Disney in Concert, Cirque de la Symphonie and Zelda in Concert, among others.
Financial history
The symphony has undergone a series of transformations over the course of its first century. It has endured two World Wars, the Great Depression, financial crises, and changing musical and cultural fashions.
In 2010, facing a multimillion-dollar deficit, the symphony disbanded under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, but was revived the next year under the new name "Hawaii Symphony Orchestra" by a group of Honolulu businessmen. JoAnn Falletta was appointed artistic director, and Steven Monder, former director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, was appointed president.
On October 30, 2009, the Honolulu Symphony Society's board of directors voted to file for Chapter 11 protection. On November 6, 2009, the symphony announced the cancellation of concerts for the remainder of the 2009–2010 season. The organization said it was $1 million in debt and did not have enough money to support operations into November and beyond.
In May 2010, the symphony's leaders said their goal was to decrease annual expenses to $4 million, from $8 million previously. The symphony's 40-performance calendar would also be cut in half, with performances at smaller venues and different ticket prices, aiming to fill all seats with paying customers. The symphony was given an October 15 deadline to file its Chapter 11 plan of reorganization. In December 2010 it was announced that the symphony would be liquidated under Chapter 7 and end operations after 110 years.
In April 2011, a group of Hawaii businesspeople called the Symphony Exploratory Committee announced efforts to revive the symphony. The committee bought out the symphony's assets, and negotiated a new three-year contract with the musicians, planning to open a new season in fall of 2011.
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